Latest Home Video

Feb 06, 2012

MPAA Rating

G

Director

William Wyler

Cast

Charlton Heston

Studio

2001 Warner Brothers

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Synopsis

Boasting the most impressive chariot race ever put to film, Ben-Hur tells the fictional story of a Jewish man (Charlton Heston) who is unjustly accused and sentenced to the galleys of a Roman battleship. While his desire for revenge keeps him alive, he is unable to really live until he hears about forgiveness from a condemned Rabbi named Jesus.

Content Details

Here is additional information on sex, violence and profanity in Ben-Hur...

Overall: A- A wealthy young man betrayed by a friend is almost destroyed by revenge until he has a change of heart.

Violence: C+ Brick falls and scares horse, man hurt in fall from horse, man holds another man in a choke hold, man taken prisoner by armed soldiers, man threatens another man with a spear, men left too die in the desert, thirsty men denied water, men whipped, extended battle scene between war ships with scenes involving blood, whipping and drowning, man seems to kill another man by choking, sword fighting between men on ship, bloody water is shown during battle, man speared in back, face burned with fire, man hit unconscious, numerous scenes of men yelling at and/or whipping horses, reference to men being tortured, man yells at woman and grabs her, extended race scene including men falling from chariots and being run over, chariots crashing into one another, man dragged by horses, contenders fighting (some blood shown), bloody and injured man shown, reference is made to cutting off injured man’s legs, man dies of injuries, man shown with bloody back, people throw rocks at others, man whipping naked back of another man, some blood shown, man carrying cross, crucifixion scenes, bloody water shown beneath the cross, violent thunderstorm.

Sexual Content: B+ Men shown in bath area wearing only towels fastened around waists, kissing scenes between unmarried couple, reference to having many wives.

Language: A- Some mild language, references to Deity used as proper nouns.

Alcohol / Drug Use: A- Men drinking what may be alcoholic beverages.

Home Video Viewing Alternatives

Here are some ideas for home video titles that are related to Ben-Hur.

Another epic film featuring Charlton Heston (this time as John the Baptist) is The Greatest Story Ever Told. If you are looking for movies set during the life of Christ, check out The Robe.

News & Views About Ben-Hur:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Paramount Pictures are replacing Heston with Huston in the remake of the epic movie Ben-Hur. The studios announced today that principal photography has begin on the new film starring Jack Huston in the title role of Judah Ben-Hur made famous by Charlton Heston in the

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A Limited and Numbered Edition of Ben-Hur is also available and features a reproduction of Charlton Heston’s Personal Diary.

Release Date: 13 September 2005

If Ben-Hur wasn’t of epic proportions before, it sure is now! This four-disc set answers everything you could ever even think of to ask about this 1959 classic. Bonus materials include: a commentary by film historian T. Gene Hatcher (with scene-specific comments from Charlton Heston), a vintage newsreels gallery, highlights from the 1960 Academy Awards ceremony, a theatrical trailer gallery, screen tests (of Leslie Nielsen and Cesare Danova, Leslie Nielsen and Yale Wexler, as well as George Baker and William Russel) and details about actress Haya Harareet’s hair and make-up.

There is also a wealth of documentaries. Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema provides interviews with current filmmakers, such as Ridley Scott and George Lucas, and their reflections on the importance and influence of this movie. The 1994 Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic, hosted by Christopher Plummer, and the1986 Emmy Award-nominated film directed by William Wyler are part of the package too. Fans of pre-production paraphernalia will appreciate, Ben-Hur: A Journey Through Pictures - an audiovisual recreation of the film via stills, storyboards, sketches, music and dialogue, while film historians will be happy to take a look at the 1925 feature-length silent version of Ben-Hur, presented with a stereophonic orchestral score by composer Carl Davis.

The Ben-Hur: Four Disc Collector’s Edition is available in English and French (both audio tracks are recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1), with subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

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